A Knut for your Thoughts
by ga nat nat
Summary: What if it had never happened? That is what is on Hermione's mind as she thinks about that one red head we all know she loves secretly. One or two shot. As yet undecided. HGRW.


(A/N: My first fanfiction in quite a while… sorry if I'm a little bit rusty… I'm focusing on my original stories right now, but I do need to give myself a break to write a fanfiction. I miss my Harry Potter, and cannot wait for the seventh and final book to be released…)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters…

A Knut for your Thoughts?

Sometimes I wonder what goes on inside that his carrot-top head. Maybe he actually is smart deep down… Maybe he is able to make since of the world and is just plain too lazy to say that he does. Maybe instead of the mind that is crass, he is actually… tolerable… Under all of that decorum of his appearance…

So I stare at his head, waiting for some kind of blue fairy to come bursting out and say, "HE'S SMART!"

It's a fairy tale, now, isn't it? Like one of those that my mother used to read to me when I was small, in times of old? Before I came to this world of witchcraft and wizardry, before I came into such wonderful friends and such an… indescribable crush.

I am startled out of my revere by a quick tap on the shoulder by my sisterly friend, Ginny Weasley. Her vibrantly red hair bobs behind her head in a tight ponytail. She smiles at me. "Go talk to him, Hermione. He likes you too, you know."

I gape at her. "I do not like him! He's your brother, for Merlin's sake!" I try to explain, but I know my face must be flaming.

"Suuuuuuuuuure you don't. But he likes you!"

Before I can protest, she bops off like the giggly young girl that she is. Oh, how she absolutely drives me mad with her correctness!

I glance quickly around the Gryffindor Common Room; nearly empty, I observe. It is the Christmas Holiday, after all! My parents decided last minute that I should stay here and catch up on my studies (like I need to catch up), and Ron's went to Romania to see Charlie, as they had done a few years previously. Harry is probably locked up somewhere thinking up ways about how he can slaughter Malfoy and the other members of the Slytherin Quidditch team in the next match.

I move from my armchair by the fire to near the window, looking out at the grounds blanketed a powdery white. There are younger students playing in the snow… snowball fights, ice-skating, even slightly elder one's frolicking with their own boyfriends. A particular couple sat by Harry, Ron, and mine favorite beach tree by the lake, cuddling in the snow. I saw him lean over slightly, handing her something. It glinted ever so slightly in the sunlight, and I knew it must be some valuable piece of jewelry, or a family heirloom. How I wish I had someone like that to treat me so sweetly.

I decide to speak up. "Ron, do you ever wonder what it would be like if it was different?"

"Huh?" he asks stupidly.

I scoff at him. "You heard! What if none of this had ever happened? What if we didn't rely on each other as much as we do?"

He looks confused. "I dunno, 'Mione… I haven't exactly thought about that…"

I sigh. "No, of course you haven't."

I hear the portrait hole push open and look to see Harry come inside. His black hair is as messy as ever, and the dark circles under his eyes seem even greater than they were before. He shuffles inside and sits in the armchair I had previously been occupying.

I smile at him. "Any new strategies?"

He nods a bit. "Yeah… nothing that will kick their arses, though…"

I scowl. "Don't curse, Harry. It's bad manners."

He shrugs it off. "Dun care… Have either of you seen Ginny around? I heard that she was looking for me earlier."

"She went out somewhere," I say. Ever since Dumbledore's funeral last year, being in the same room with Harry and Ginny involved tension so tight you could slice it with a knife. I wonder why she could possibly be looking for him…

Harry pulls himself up from the armchair, exhaustedly. "I'd better go look for her then… I've been meaning to… never mind…"

Absently, I say, "Okay Harry."

Ron waves.

Harry leaves through the portrait hole and I once again stair out the window. The couple is still there under the beach tree, but now they are holding hands. They appear to be conversing something, and I can only imagine how it may go:

The girl starts it, _Why do you love me?_

_Why do you ask that? You know._

_But why?_

_Because you shine like the light from the sun. Nothing could ever be compared to such radiance as yours._

And so on and so forth.

I've never really been attracted to mushy, gushy romance novels or films… Not like some of the other girls my age. Who really wants to read something like that? They all end basically the same way: a tragic death, followed by a forbidden love, and then both of the main characters die. Or maybe that's just _Romeo and Juliet_…

I haven't noticed, but suddenly Ron is up beside me. "Hermione, a Knut for your thoughts?"

I smile slightly. "I believe my thoughts may just be worth more than a Knut. How about a sickle?"

"Too rich for my blood," he jokes, beginning to move away.

"Ron!" I slap him playfully. He throws his head back in a deep-bellied laugh.

Sobering up immediately, he inquires of me, "What are you thinking about, 'Mione? You look… weird…"

"Thanks for that, Ronald. It does absolute wonders for my self esteem!" I smile, giggling.

"I'm serious," and by his eyes I am able to tell that he was not lying. "What are you thinking of?"

"Honestly… Love."

(A/N: I know! It's an absolutely horrendous place to stop, but my inspiration when poof! I'm sorry! Maybe a second chapter is in store? Or… a chapter taking place after this only from Ron's POV? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… I've always liked doing that. Anyway, I beg you to read and review, because I need opinions one whether or not I'm horrible!


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